Becoming Yourself

“Through simple yet profound wisdom, Suzuki Roshi encourages a life of mindfulness, compassion, and non-attachment.”—His Holiness the Dalai Lama“These writings are an extraordinary gift for all of us who aspire to live more fully, to ‘become who we are’ in a more wholehearted and free-spirited way. I felt a burden being lifted from my shoulders just by reading this remarkable book.”—Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks “There could not possibly be a better book for our moment in history… This handbook for sanity and balance offers what so many are craving. In the midst of national and international turmoil, it is still possible, if not utterly necessary, to learn the simplest things.”—Naomi Shihab Nye, poet and National Book Award finalist“Becoming Yourself is deep and delicious, tender and perplexing, a beautiful follow up to Zen Mind, Beginners Mind. You can feel the sparkle and magical gifts of Suzuki Roshi. He touches your heart, enlightens you and makes you smile.”—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path With Heart“In these uncertain times, as we grapple with who we are and who we are becoming, Becoming Yourself is the book we need for guidance and for ballast.”—Ruth Ozeki, author of A Tale for the Time Being“Every page in this book contains enough wisdom to last a lifetime and I found myself copying down one sentence after another. Is it any wonder that Suzuki Roshi’s books of teachings are the only medicine I send to friends who are suffering in body or mind?”—Pico Iyer, author of Aflame and The Art of Stillness “In a book that asks to be savored, Suzuki Roshi’s timeless wisdom opens the door to awakening here and now. Through his clear teachings on compassion and awareness readers of all backgrounds can begin to access their true nature in order to fully become themselves.” —Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life “Like finding a hidden treasure, the utter wonder and delight of discovering Suzuki Roshi all over again is at the heart of this marvelous book of his teachings. Roshi’s humor, wisdom, and deep love of the Dharma shine through, page after page. This is a modern classic.”—Roshi Joan Halifax, author of Being with Dying and Standing at the Edge “No one expresses the warmth and wisdom of Soto Zen like Suzuki Roshi, whose words have been a beacon for more than fifty years. In Becoming Yourself we hear again his unique voice in a series of short, eloquent, talks that will inspire much re-reading, copying, posting, and contemplating.”—Norman Fischer, author of The World Could Be Otherwise “Reading even a few words of this elegant volume feels like a breath of fresh air.”—Rhonda Magee, author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice “In these pages, Suzuki Roshi speaks as if he is speaking to us directly while manifesting the immediacy of his Zen practice. Becoming Yourself is a treasure.”—Gil Fronsdal, author of The Issue at Hand “Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki’s teaching on becoming ourselves turns us towards each moment of our lives, in which who we are is revealed. This teaching can bring ease to anyone striving to ‘be somebody’ in the future rather than honoring the shaping of our lives already unfolding.”—Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, author of Opening to Darkness and The Deepest Peace“In this wonderful new collection of teachings given by Suzuki Roshi there is a brief chapter called ‘Why I Came to America.’ There he says, ‘what I want to establish here is Buddhism in some pure form.’ This will be a new turning of the Dharma Wheel for many Western students of Zen.”—Reb Anderson, author of Being Upright“Becoming Yourself is Suzuki Roshi’s expression of the profound truth that you are already free. To know this deeply, amid gaining and losing, having and lacking, selfing and othering, good and bad, birth and death, is Zen practice.”—Guo Gu, author of Silent Illumination

Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (1904–1971) was a lifelong Soto Zen Buddhist priest and one of the most prominent and beloved spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. His life’s work was to transmit authentic Zen practice from Japan to the United States, preserving the heart of the teaching and traditional forms while allowing them space to adapt and take root in Western soil. He founded the San Francisco Zen Center, among the oldest and largest Buddhist training places in the West. Suzuki Roshi’s teachings were first edited and collected in the influential classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.